The Great Giana Sisters (Commodore 64 review)

Developer: Time Warp Productions
Publisher: Rainbow Arts
Released: 1987

The Great Giana Sisters is a platformer that's heavily inspired by Super Mario Bros. (1985, NES).

+ It's seriously impressive how much it mimics Super Mario Bros. and the gameplay mechanics are very faithful.

+ Checkpoints are very fair, so the frustration of tougher levels is lessened due to players not being sent far back.

+ The controls are highly responsive, and the colourful graphics and smooth scrolling look fantastic.

+ Gives you the option to save your high scores which is an advanced feature for the time period.

- Levels are very short and you never feel like you're getting into a proper rhythm due to the stop/start nature of the gameplay.

- Does almost nothing to differentiate itself from the source material and treads familiar ground far too much.

- Collision detection is spotty and many times you'll lose a life and wonder how on earth it just happened.

Creatures (Commodore 64 review)

Developer: Apex Computer Productions
Publisher: Thalamus Ltd
Released: 1990

Creatures is an action-platformer that was also released on the Atari ST (1992) and Commodore Amiga (1993).

+ Stages are lengthy and feature lots of different layout types and enemies to test your platforming prowess.

+ Includes some brilliant puzzle stages to mix things up and get you thinking about the game mechanics in new ways.

+ Controls are outstanding and being able to select your shot type from an in-game menu offers plenty of strategy.

+ Items can be purchased in the between stage shop that afford new offensive weapons to make life easier. 

- However, if you don't purchase the correct item you can find yourself unable to advance at certain points.

- Stage 2's underwater levels really bring the action to a crawl and initiate a brutal, long-lasting difficulty spike.

- Game has a nasty habit of randomly crashing and ruining all of your hard work at a moments notice.

Mountie Mick's Deathride (Commodore 64 review)

Developer: Reaktör Software
Publisher: Gremlin Graphics
Released: 1987

Mountie Mick's Deathride is an action game that was also released on the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum in 1987.

+ The core gameplay is terrific with lots of ways for you to outsmart enemies and take cover across two platform heights.

+ The parallax scrolling is spectacular and helps to immerse you in the experience of being on a high-speed train.

+ Attempting to steer your trolley away at the end of each level is intense due to having to beat the scrolling playfield.

+ Being able to squash enemies by leaping on top of them is a great mechanic to conserve bullets through skilled play.

- The controls mar the experience by introducing severe button delay and infuriatingly stiff platform movements.

- Features a number of game-breaking bugs, such as being unable to complete Train 7 due to a car blocking your path.

- Relies heavily on trial-and-error, and having to memorise levels from the get-go sucks out much of the fun.

Jumpman (C64 review)

Developer: Randy Glover
Publisher: Epyx
Released: 1983

Jumpman is a multi-screen platform game that was originally released on Atari 8-bit computers.

It's similar to Chuckie Egg (1983, home computers) in many ways and your job is to collect and defuse all the bombs in each static screen to move onto the next level. The fire button performs a jump but only if you hold a direction at the same time; this is especially important when you want to reach items above you and it takes a while to get used to the control scheme. Enemies come in many forms and each has specific attack patterns. For example, in the first few levels alone you'll face bullets that home in on your location, speedy robots, bombs that drop in from the sky, vampires that follow you around and UFOs you can actually shoot. The sheer amount of variety is one of the game's many high points and it never seems to rest on its laurels. Some interesting levels include Builder where you must detonate certain bombs so new platforms appear and Runaway where you need to chase the bombs around the screen while avoiding bullets. Although there are 30 levels the game rapidly gets difficult and it will take a lot of practice to even get through the Intermediate screens. New environmental factors are constantly thrown your way and whilst the Advanced levels take some serious patience you'll have tons of fun throughout. One thing I didn't like is that when you die enemies don't reset; this means it's possible to land directly on top of them when you respawn and you'll instantly lose a life. Bullets also have a tendency to shoot in when you're at the far corner of the screen giving you no time to react.

Jumpman was well ahead of its time and the excellent level design and gameplay still hold up well today. There's nothing flashy about it but clearly the developers put a lot of emphasis on the fun factor and for a 1983 game it's seriously impressive how much variety is on display here.

Random trivia: The success of this game led to the release of Jumpman Junior in 1983 which featured 12 levels. It's not technically a sequel as the developer saw it as an opportunity to provide a 'lite' version to users without a disk drive.

Fantastic Soccer (C64 review)

Developer: Ian Copeland
Publisher: Zeppelin Games
Released: 1990

I had high hopes for Fantastic Soccer once I learnt that it was programmed by Ian Copeland, the guy who wrote World Soccer.

The game greets you with a nicely animated title screen and an impressive rendition of the famous 'Here We Go!' football chant. Unfortunately, this brief moment is the best part of an otherwise terrible game! You'll quickly notice that there are no cups or tournaments to take part in, and only single games are available. There are eight teams to choose from but there's no Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur - instead you get Zep City and Ian's Team! Once you've chosen your team you'd expect the CPU opponent to do the same but they prefer to just call themselves 'Computer'...how rubbish is that?! Don't expect things to get any better once the match starts as you'll immediately notice that the action is too zoomed in, making it difficult to see where your team-mates are. The AI is ridiculously fast and will constantly slide tackle the ball away from you a split second after you receive it. To top things off, the sound effect that plays during a tackle is like someone breaking their leg in a severe thunderstorm and it grates on you very quickly. The game automatically switches to your nearest player but odds are that it won't be the one you actually want to control. While you're busy wrestling with the joystick your computer opponent will be storming their way down the pitch and you'll resign yourself to being behind on the scoreboard. Don't worry though, 99% of the time they'll get behind the defence, have a clear shot on goal and blast a scorcher towards the corner flag! Most of the matches I played ended up in a draw; when this happens you'll fall victim to the dreaded 'Game Over' screen as the game refuses to go to extra time or penalties. To be honest, it's probably best for all involved!

Simply put, Fantastic Soccer is an anaemic football title due to its lack of options and frustrating gameplay. Despite the nice title screen it has zero redeeming qualities - avoid this one at all costs!

Random trivia: Brian Jobling founded Zeppelin Games in 1987 when he was just 17-years-old. As of 2014, the company is still around (although now called Eutechnyx) and is known for specialising in racing games such as Big Mutha Truckers and 007 Racing.

Match Point (C64 review)

Developer: Jm van Laethem, G. Poropat
Publisher: Psion
Released: 1984

I was ready to slate Match Point for being a slow & boring game but then I spotted some obscure options that solve most of its issues.

There are three options when the game starts - you can choose Quarter Final, Semi Final or Final. I immediately tried the Quarter Final and was greeted by what I can only describe as 'tennis on the moon!' Shots took forever to reach the other side of the court and it was incredibly dull sitting through a 5-set match. However, if you select Semi Final (fast, my preferred mode) or the Final (fastest, too fast in my opinion) the gameplay improves as the ball moves much quicker making for some exciting matches. The controls are tricky to get used to but there's definitely some depth here as the direction of each shot depends on your position, motion and timing. Once you've played a couple of games you'll start to get the hang of things and find it easier to pull off drop-shots, top-spins and lobs. However, the game does try to auto-adjust between backhand and forehand which can occasionally cause issues with lining up your shot. There's little in the way of sound effects apart from the ball bouncing and hitting the racket, and the graphics aren't too exciting due to the lack of detail. The ball boy animation is hilarious though as he looks exactly like Diddy Kong from the Donkey Kong Country series!

Match Point is a decent tennis game that rewards players who are willing to stick with the controls and learn to master them. Just make sure you avoid the sleep-inducing Quarter Final mode!

Random trivia: If you hold down CTRL on the keyboard before you serve the CPU will move to the opposite corner of the screen. This allows you to serve a perfect ace every time!

World Cup Hockey (C64 review)

Developer: Donald Campbell

Publisher: Artic Computing

Released: 1986 (approx)

Here's an obscure field hockey game that I've struggled to find information on.

World Cup Hockey gives you two main options to choose from (World Cup or Practice Mode) and I was gob-smacked to see that it supports between 1-9 players! Once you start a match the graphics are unintentionally hilarious as the hockey sticks could easily be mistaken for Hoovers and each character looks like a mix between a geisha and Princess Leia. This could be overlooked if World Cup Hockey played well but unfortunately the controls are not up to the task. The game automatically switches to the closest player but it causes many issues (especially on defence) as it always picks a player just behind the CPU opponent and leaves them with a free run on goal. While not being particularly intuitive, the trick is to keep moving your nearest 'geisha' away from the CPU until you get the player you want to control. There are also a number of oddities in the game including players who pass to themselves after the ball has gone out of bounds, and goalkeepers / defenders forgetting what position they're playing and trading places on the fly! Don't expect to hear any music or sound effects apart from the high pitched bleep when the ball goes out of play. Despite its flaws I did manage to beat the entire game on my first attempt (using the trick mentioned above) and the brilliant final screen just says: 'Player 1 Victorous!'

Unfortunately World Cup Hockey's strange gameplay mechanics and lack of challenge mean it has very little replay value. I can imagine it being somewhat fun in 2 player mode but it's not worth your time as a single player experience.

Random trivia: One of Artic Computing's developers was Charles Cecil. In 1990 he founded Revolution Software that went on to develop the popular gaming series Broken Sword.

Baby Monty (C64 review)

Developer: Antony Crowther
Publisher: PGC (Personal Computer Games)
Released: 1984

Released in 1984, Baby Monty featured in the 20 game PCW Games Collection cassette and type-in book.

You play the role of Baby Mole who has 'fallen from his shelf into a mega-dark cavern'...what an inspired back-story! After diving into an old boat your job is to raise the water level and row your way through the cavern while avoiding the tumbling barrels which have apparently escaped from an old arcade game. This is somewhat of a Donkey Kong clone with a very random story and terrible setting. There are 15 levels of increasing difficulty, and if you manage to complete them all it simply loops back to Level 15 with no sign of an end screen. I'm guessing this means poor Baby Mole is permanently stuck in the 'mega-dark cavern!' The lanes are very narrow in these higher levels and it's very difficult to avoid the random barrels as you reach the top of the screen. Without a variety of enemies or items to avoid you'll quickly tire of the repetitive gameplay. There's no music in the game to keep your interest and the limited sound effects can only be described as functional.

Baby Monty is a very basic game and one that you'll likely play a couple of times and then forget about.

Random trivia: Baby Monty was one of the first games developed by Antony Crowther. He later went onto develop games such as Loco and Black Thunder, as well as creating the Monty Mole character with Peter Harrap.

Flappy Bird (C64 review)

Developer: Sos
Publisher: Homebrew
Released: 2014

Flappy Bird was a phenomenon on mobile devices in early 2014 and was noted for its rock hard, yet addictive gameplay.

The game sees you controlling a flying bird through a never-ending series of pipes (that look exactly like the ones in Super Mario Bros) in an attempt to stay alive as long as possible. If you hit a pipe it's game over. You control the bird by tapping the fire button to go up - the problem is that your character constantly nosedives which makes precise movements difficult. This is obviously part of the challenge but for me it was much more stressful than other scrolling high score games such as Up Up and Away on the Atari 8-bit. There is also a lack of music and very little in the way of sound effects. Although the game can be somewhat addictive, this is simply a high score contest with very little to keep the players' interest. The scenery doesn't change whatsoever and there are no levels or other obstacles to switch things up. In my opinion this could have been a very interesting game if it was more fleshed out. As it stands though it's just extremely barebones.

Although this is a nicely programmed port, Flappy Bird just isn't for me. It's too shallow and the lack of variety makes for a boring gaming experience. If you like the original mobile game though I doubt this port will disappoint you.

Random trivia: Despite earning $50,000 per day for in-app advertisements, Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen pulled the game from iOS and Android due to death threats from players who said the game was too difficult and addictive!

Hammer Boy (C64 review)

Developer: Pablo Toledo
Publisher: Dinamic Software
Released: 1991

Hammer Boy is a tower defence game where you have to defend your fort, ship and castle from hordes of incoming enemies.

It was released in 1991 by Spanish publishers Dinamic Software who also brought out titles such as Astro Marine Corps (Amstrad CPC) and Risky Woods (Mega Drive). This C64 game is very similar to Vermin from the Game & Watch series in that enemies try to invade your base and it's up to you to suppress them by hitting them with your trusty hammer. It consists of three levels which take place in a desert, on-sea and on your castle grounds. There's a timer in the top-right corner and this represents how long you have to survive wave after wave of attacks before the level is complete. I was having a great time until I realised that the levels loop once you've completed them with no variety added to the gameplay. For some reason the levels don't get tougher the more you play; in fact, I struggled to actually lose lives and gave up on my 8th or 9th loop! This is really disappointing as high-score games shouldn't stay in the first difficulty setting for their entirety. Although your character has mediocre animation the rest of the game is beautiful, in particular the ship level with its waving flags, enemies rowing towards you and rival ships blasting cannons from the background. The music is dull and will likely grate on you within the first couple of minutes. The SFX are your standard arcade-style sounds but weirdly the music cuts out every time one is played.

Hammer Boy won't blow you away but it's a title you'll find yourself returning to occasionally. It's such a shame that more development time wasn't available (see random trivia below) as the addition of more levels / gameplay mechanics would have made this a stand-out title in the C64 library.

Random trivia: The game has since been dismissed by coder Pablo Toledo. On the Lemon 64 website, he admitted that he made it "just because I needed money and Dinamic almost didn't pay me!" He also said that the entire game was coded in only one month.

Super Cars (C64 review)

Developer: Magnetic Fields
Publisher: Gremlin Graphics
Released: 1991

I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of top-down racers but Super Cars is a lot of fun!

There are nine tracks and four difficulty levels to work through and you must place in the top 3 in each race to advance. Doing so will earn you money which you can spend at the shop - here you'll find new cars to purchase, as well as upgrades such as missiles, armour and power steering. The graphics are functional but they're not as good as you'd expect from a 1991 game (in fact, it only looks slightly better than the C64's Rally Speedway that was released in 1984!). It's all about the gameplay in Super Cars though and it certainly delivers. For the most part controlling your car is smooth and you'll be whizzing around corners at high speed before you know it. The AI is aggressive, but not unfair and they'll battle with each other as much as you. The game is quite easy in the lower difficulty setting but things start to ramp up once you reach the second class. To be honest though, once you've reached this class you've seen pretty much everything there is to see, and the final ending really isn't worth the time you need to invest!

While it can get a bit repetitive, Super Cars is definitely worth a go if you're a fan of games like Micro Machines and Super Sprint.

Random trivia: If you enter the code FONDLE instead of your name you can...err...fondle the shop girl for a small fee. Not your average cheat code!

1943 – One Year After (C64 review)

Developer: Greve Graphics
Publisher: Action Software (American Action)
Released: 1987

Despite the title, this game has nothing to do with the Capcom series of vertically scrolling shoot-em-ups.

It was developed by Greve Graphics who also developed the C64 titles Blood 'n' Guts, and Captured. 1943 - One Year After makes a terrible first impression with its text-heavy title screen and intro music that sounds like someone having their first keyboard lesson. Once you get into the game there's an unskippable intro that shows your plane scrolling upwards while refuelling - this takes 30 seconds and you're forced to watch it every time you want to start a new game! When the action finally starts you're treated to a tiny screen area that's cropped in portrait mode. It's likely this was done to make it look like other arcade shooters of the time but here the screen just looks too narrow with very little room to manoeuvre.

Although the game isn't as fast paced as the Capcom series, you'll still struggle to avoid enemy fire due to the colour palette. All incoming fire is presented by a black dot - the problem is that these dots frequently blend into the backdrops which are full of black outlines. The game does have a nice barrel roll animation though and I like the left-hand-side map which shows you how far along the stage you are.

Overall though this title is a chore to play and it doesn't allow the precision needed to enjoy this shoot-em-up experience.

Random trivia: Greve Graphics was the first Scandinavian video game company. They released five titles between 1985 to 1987 before eventually folding around 1988.

1942 (C64 review)

Developer: Stephen Green
Publisher: Capcom, Elite Systems, Encore, ECP
Released: 1986

1942 is a vertically scrolling shooter that was released on a number of different platforms including the Arcades and the NES.

It gets off to a great start with the gorgeous title screen and the music that was based on the movie score from Ron Goodwin's 633 Squadron. However, things quickly take a turn for the worse when you start playing the game. Enemy waves and attacks are way too fast and you'll have a hard time getting out of the way of incoming fire. Shoot-em-ups normally have an element of memorisation but remembering where every enemy will spawn from is really the only way to progress in 1942. The other main problem is the limitation of the C64 controller - barrel rolls are mapped to the space bar so you can imagine how uncomfortable it is having one finger on the keyboard while holding the joystick! This game requires lightning fast reflexes and there just aren't enough buttons on the controller to make it work efficiently.

If you're looking for a version of 1942 that's more forgiving try the NES version - the C64 port just isn't as finely-tuned as it should be.

Random trivia: The arcade original of 1942 was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto who went on to develop games such as Final Fight and Street Fighter II.

Ninja (C64 review)

Developer: Sculptured Software
Publisher: Mastertronic
Released: 1986

I've already covered the Atari 8-bit version of Ninja here, and in my opinion it's the superior version when pitted against the C64 game.

Your mission in Ninja is to work your way through the Palace of Death, collect the seven idols and return to the opening screen in one piece. A range of thugs and evil ninjas await you in every screen but luckily you have a large move-set available to you including punches, jump kicks, sword slashes and spinning death stars. The main problem with the C64 version is that it's far too easy! There are very few evil ninjas scattered across the rooms (they're the most powerful enemies in the game) so you'll only be facing weak thugs who can quickly be dispatched with a jump kick or by throwing three spinning death stars. As you advance nearer the top floor of the Atari version you'll normally be greeted by an increasing amount of evil ninjas (sometimes 2-3 at once) who can kill you with one hit. Rarely did I see any in the C64 game so there was very little challenge in getting all seven idols. The music in this version is slightly distorted and not as pleasant to listen to compared to the Atari 8-bit version. The loading times between each screen seem to be a little bit longer too, although I admit I haven't actually sat down and timed it.

Despite its flaws, Ninja is still a great game. It has beautiful graphics, controls well, and is perfect for a quick gaming session.

Random trivia: The C64 version of the game has a bug which means you can walk through walls by ducking next to them! Check out the full thread on the Lemon 64 forums here.

Lawn Tennis (C64 review)

Developer: Binary Design
Publisher: Mastertronic
Released: 1988

Yawn Tennis... ahem, excuse me, Lawn Tennis, is an uninspiring sports title that's lacking in a number of areas.

Only singles matches are available here but there are five different skill levels to choose from. Things quickly unravel once the game starts and you try to serve - most of the time the ball doesn't go where you want it to and you'll lose many points due to double faults. When you do manage to get the ball over the net the isometric viewpoint makes lining up shots very difficult and you'll frequently find yourself swinging at thin air. The court is also slightly obscured meaning that you can't see three corners of the playing surface. This is ridiculous as there's times when you try to line up a shot but fail as you can't actually see where the ball is! If by some miracle you do get a rally going you'll struggle to win a point as the computer is a God even on the lowest skill setting. The only time I won points was when the CPU hit the ball into the net. Speaking of which, can anyone explain to me why the umpire says "Foul!" when this happens? I've never heard this termed used in tennis!

To be honest, the only reason to play this game is to see the terrible animation, and the hilariously bad jumping celebration from the CPU after they win a match. Apart from that this game is one to avoid.

Random trivia: The music in this game was composed by Jason C. Brooke who also composed the soundtrack to the C64 ports of Contra (Gryzor), Ikari Warriors and Outrun.